Hipster Baby Names So Cool You Haven’t Even Heard of Them Yet

Just because you’ve got a little one on the way doesn’t mean you’re banished to a life of mom jeans, minivans, and uncomfortable enthusiasm for popsicle stick-based crafting. In fact, you’re in a prime position to attain hipster cred for life by giving your child one of these carefully selected, high quality, rare-edition baby names:

Cressida

Origin: Greek; Meaning: gold.

Although the name is rooted in a culture almost 3,000 years old, it couldn’t be more relevant to today’s culture. Cressida Bonas was almost Prince Harry’s wife (and still could be!) and trendsetter Natalie Dormer is playing a character named Cressida in the most recent Hunger Games film. A moniker that is both old and new? It’s like the ultimate thrift store find of baby names.

Juniper

Origin: English; Meaning: Juniper tree.

If “June” is a little too 1950s, and “Jupiter” is a little too 5th dimension, you may want to consider their hybrid “Juniper” for your new little one. You’ll be on point with the flora and fauna motif in modern baby names, but opting for the comparatively obscure Juniper plant (not something mainstream like Rose or Lily, ugh) will make your offspring the hottest tot in KinderCare.

Roscoe

Origin: Norse; Meaning: from the deer forest.

We’re not recommending that you name your kid after the legendary chicken and waffles joint, but we’re not not recommending it either…

Serenity

Origin: English; Meaning: peaceful disposition.

This is one of those perfect names that does double duty in the hipster community. You can appeal to the nerdy niche by taking inspiration from the spaceship in Joss Whedon’s cult classic Firefly while also paying tribute to the yogis that accompany your quest for inner peace every Saturday morning before brunch. Or, you can do both: Serenity Fillion Namaste Browncoat ChildPose [enter your last name here].

Huxley

Origin: English; Meaning: inhospitable place.

There is no better name to welcome your child into this Brave New World. This moniker denotes that your child possesses literary genius and philosophical enlightenment far beyond their months/years. You’re basically just prepping them for international acclaim. How does it feel to be the parent of a prodigy?

Arizona

Origin: Spanish; Meaning: good oak.

State-themed names have been making a subtle comeback since Indiana Jones and his fedora swung onto screens in 1981. It might not be Brooklyn, but everyone knows that when searching for baby names, the Southwest is the place to be.

Linus

Origin: Greek; Meaning: flax.

Bonus points if you name your second child Lucy.

Eisley

Origin: Swiss; Meaning: cheerful.

ICYMI: the Internet has declared Eisley an updated version of the name Ashley. We recommend you grab it quickly before Eisleys start popping up on every street corner like Starbucks. That way you can declare “I named my baby Eisley before it was cool” (and have the birth certificate to prove it), because we know that nothing makes hipsters happier than pre-dating the norm, and shamelessly declaring it to any mainstreamer who dares think otherwise.

Grover

Origin: English; Meaning: from the grove.

“Red rover, red rover, we call Grover right over!”

We dare you to resist the cuteness.

Brixton

Origin: English; Meaning: Brixton district of London.

Having a British name is the second best thing to having a British accent, which as we all know, is like a Instagram filter for life that makes everything instantaneously seem more intelligent and cultured. It doesn’t matter if your baby’s first word is “cheeto,” with a name like Brixton, they’ll still be the Benedict Cumberbatch of the baby set. Parents will be scheduling playdates months in advance, hoping some of his trademark uber-cool will rub off on their little one.

Bijou

Origin: French; Meaning: jewel.

Bijou will see Brixton’s reputation of intelligence and culture and raise him an unflappable air of sophistication and je ne sais quoi. Babies are just about the only living creatures that can wear berets without offending the rest of the human race, so take advantage of this Instagram opp with little Bijou before she moves on to her lifelong uniform of all black, Chanel sunglasses, and a perma-pout.

Ansel

Origin: French; Meaning: follower of a nobleman.

Named (obviously) in deference to the one and only Dominique Ansel, the bakery that invented the most elite and pretentious of the pastries – the cronut.

Cadence

Origin: Latin; Meaning: Rhythm.

Singers have tried to honor their craft with baby names many times before, all to varying degrees of failure and future humiliation for their child (see Lyric, Audio Science, and Banjo). Cadence is truly the preferable option, one that comes with class and an open invitation for hipster parent envy. But be prepared to correct those mainstreamers (make sure to roll your eyes) that no, for the millionth time, it’s not Candace.

Lazlo

Origin: Hungarian; Meaning: Glorious ruler

The common point of reference for the name Lazlo is the mid-2000s Cartoon Network series Camp Lazlo. But your too-cool-for-traditional-school baby will change all that. I mean, who ever thought the name Channing was hot before Mr. Tatum?

Aspen

Origin: American; Meaning: quaking tree.

“Oh, you went skiing in Aspen over the holidays? How quaint. We went skiing with Aspen.” It’s the ultimate trump card, really.

Franklin

Origin: Latin; Meaning: Free man.

Who cares about playing with an iPad when you can be named after the guy who discovered electricity? Go for a vague historical reference with this nod to Benjamin Franklin. Plus, if your baby ever needs Warby Parkers down the road, he can tell everyone on the playground his namesake created bifocals

Tallulah

Origin: Native American; Meaning: leaping waters

This Native American name evokes images of wide-open prairies and simple living —a heavy dose of ironic cool for the always-plugged-in family who hasn’t been out of range of a Starbucks in years.

Wren

Origin: Meaning: animal name, a bird

To quote Portlandia, “You can put a bird on anything and call it art.” Why not apply that to your baby, too?

Florence

Origin: Latin; Meaning: flourishing, prosperous.

The dog days are over, indeed! This name could serve as a souvenir from a soul-searching trip to the Italian city or a nod to singer Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine — now when your daughter is screaming her lungs out, you can just say she’s getting her vocal cords ready for a lifetime of music festivals.

Louise

Origin: German; Meaning: Famous warrior.

Louise is the perfect, slightly askew name for your cardigan-wearing, Tolstoy book-board-reading baby. It hasn’t cracked the top 20 baby names in America since 1920, and hasn’t even made it past #900 nearly thirty years, so you know this unique pick is rock-solid. She can also hop on the gender-neutral train with the funky nickname Lou, a la unspeakably hip French model (and daughter of Jane Birkin) Lou Doillon.

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